What is a Balanced Diet For a Type 2 Diabetic?

This question came up on one of the forums I am on recently. There were many conflicting responses, often including discussion about various macronutrients (fat, protein, carbohydrates) and micronutrients (minerals, vitamins etc), the evils of sugar, cholesterol and saturated fats, the need for lots of fruit or grains etc etc. A lot of people also went into great detail about maximum and minimum percentages for fats, carbs and protein.I believe in KISS, so I try to keep it simple with easy to follow rules for my way of eating. As I have to eat this way for the rest of my life I do not want an excessively complicated food selection system.My definition of a balanced diet for a type 2 diabetic (me) is pretty basic and not in terms of percentages of anything. The basic description is simple, although the personal investigation creating the way of eating I follow today was fairly complex. The links at the foot of this post describe the journey to this point. The simple version:

I let my meter show me my carbohydrate limits for the time of day and the meal.

I let common sense and satiety limit my protein and fat portions.

I include a reasonably wide variety of vegetables in my menu, favouring fresh and seasonal vegetables where possible.

I also include fruits but those are limited to minimise blood glucose spikes.

In applying those basic rules for myself I also take these factors into account:

Variety in choices of meats, fish, seafood, dairy, vegetables and fruits makes the menu interesting and also improves the chances of getting all needed vitamins and micronutrients.

Excess of any macronutrient is not wise.

Excessive restriction of any macronutrient is just as unwise.

These links to past posts expand on those points and others:

Food, Farmers and Factories

Test, Review, Adjust

Are Carbs Really Necessary?

Vegetables

Grazing

Red, Red Wine

Yoghurt

Eggs, Carbs and Cholesterol

Cinnamon, Spices, Herbs and Similar

Food and Recipes

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter There Is Nothing I Could Eat I like More Than my Eyes

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